CANADIAN ZARUBA CUT BY EAGLES
Here’s the latest rundown on 21 Canucks still trying to land jobs with NFL teams
Twenty-two Canadians began July on an NFL training camp roster.
Twenty-one remain. Adam Zaruba, a former star on the Canadian national rugby sevens team, was released with an injury settlement on Saturday by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
The North Vancouver native strained his left hamstring two weekends earlier, just days after Eagles training camp began. For the second consecutive summer, Zaruba had been trying out with the Eagles as a tight end, the position the 27-year-old played so long ago at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., from 2010-12.
Meantime, here’s a look at the status of 21 Canadians who are still on swelled NFL rosters, less than three weeks before clubs must cut down from 90 players to 53 for the regular season: LAURENT DUVERNAY-TARDIF Starting right guard, Kansas City Chiefs
Experience: Fifth year in NFL Hometown: Mont-saint-hilaire, Que.
The highest-paid Canadian football player in history (he’s in Year 2 of a Us$42.4-million, five-year deal) started the Chiefs’ pre-season game last Thursday against Houston, but stayed in for only nine snaps. At Sunday’s practice he suffered a concussion, and is out indefinitely. TYRONE CRAWFORD
Starting defensive end, Dallas Cowboys
Experience: Seventh year in NFL Hometown: Windsor, Ont.
Started Thursday’s game at San Francisco. Played just nine snaps. Did not record a stat. After gaining weight to play defensive tackle for two years, Crawford is still shedding weight, as his move outside in 2017 to help the Cowboys’ sub-par pass rush appears permanent.
LOUIS-PHILIPPE LADOUCEUR Long snapper, Dallas Cowboys Experience: 14th year in NFL Hometown: Montreal
No long snapper in football history has been better. In 13 NFL seasons including playoffs, the 37-year-old has yet to snap a bad ball on 1,864 tries: 899 punts, 562 extra points and 403 field goals. He did not play last week at San Francisco, as undrafted rookie Scott Daly from Notre Dame got a chance to work. Daly is not expected to supplant Ladouceur.
JON RYAN
Punter, Seattle Seahawks Experience: 13th year in NFL Hometown: Regina
The veteran is fighting for his job this summer, as the Seahawks selected University of Texas standout Michael Dickson, an Aussie, in the fifth round of April’s draft. Last Thursday against Indianapolis, the 36-year-old Ryan alternated at punting with Dickson. Each punted three times. Ryan averaged 46.3 yards per kick; Dickson checked in at 47.3. “He knows he’s in a big battle, and they pretty well matched it up the first time out,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said on the weekend. “So we’ll see how it goes.”
LUKE WILLSON
Starting tight end, Detroit Lions Experience: Sixth year in NFL Hometown: Lasalle, Ont.
After five years in Seattle, Willson now plays — and starts — for his “hometown” team (he grew up in a suburb outside Windsor just 12 kilometres south of Detroit’s Ford Field). He started Detroit’s game Saturday at Oakland, but rested with the other starters after 11 offensive plays (15 per cent) and one specialteams play (four per cent). As quarterback Matthew Stafford rested, backup QB Matt Cassel’s first pass was to Willson, but they did not connect.
BRENT URBAN
Backup defensive end, Baltimore Ravens
Experience: Fifth year in NFL Hometown: Mississauga, Ont.
Coming off another serious, season-killing injury. But he is fully healed from the Lisfranc foot fracture he suffered last September after winning a starting job in the summer. He did not start last Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. But in 16 plays he registered two tackles, hit the quarterback once and deflected a pass. CHRISTIAN COVINGTON
Backup defensive lineman, Houston Texans
Experience: Fourth year in NFL Hometown: Vancouver
The son of CFL hall of famer Grover Covington has healed from a torn biceps that ended his 2017 season early. A sixthround draft pick in 2015, Covington is expected to fill an integral role in the Texans’ defensive line rotation. He started at right defensive end last Thursday at K.C., but stayed in for only nine plays and did not record a stat.
NATHAN SHEPHERD
Defensive end, New York Jets Experience: Drafted rookie Hometown: Ajax, Ont.
Jets coaches are so high on Shepherd, they placed him on the first-team unit to begin training camp, after the third-round draft pick impressed out of the gates in May and June practices. Shepherd started last Friday night against the Atlanta Falcons. He got in for 19 defensive plays and recorded two tackles. Occasionally he went head-tohead against Falcons left offensive tackle Austin Pasztor from Tillsonburg, Ont.
ANTONY AUCLAIR
Backup tight end,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Experience: Second year in NFL Hometown: Notre-dame-despins, Que. BRETT JONES
Backup centre/guard,
New York Giants
Experience: Fourth year in NFL Hometown: Weyburn, Sask. DAVID ONYEMATA
Backup defensive tackle, New Orleans Saints Experience: Third year in NFL Hometown: Winnipeg
AUSTIN PASZTOR
Backup offensive tackle, Atlanta Falcons
Experience: Sixth year in NFL Hometown: Tillsonburg, Ont.
T.J. JONES
Kick returner and backup receiver, Detroit Lions Experience: Fifth year in NFL Born: in Winnipeg but grew up in the U.S.
ELI ANKOU
Backup nose tackle, Jacksonville Jaguars Experience: Second year in NFL Hometown: Ottawa
RYAN HUNTER
Backup offensive tackle, Kansas City Chiefs
Experience: Undrafted rookie Hometown: North Bay, Ont. GEOFF GRAY
Backup offensive tackle/guard, Cleveland Browns
Experience: Second year in NFL Hometown: Winnipeg
STEFAN CHARLES
Backup defensive tackle, Kansas City Chiefs
Experience: Sixth year in NFL Hometown: Toronto
DAKODA SHEPLEY
Backup offensive guard, New York Jets
Experience: Undrafted rookie Hometown: Windsor
BRETT BOYKO
Backup offensive guard/tackle, Los Angeles Chargers Experience: Second year in NFL Hometown: Saskatoon
TEVAUN SMITH
Backup wide receiver, Jacksonville Jaguars Experience: Second year in NFL Hometown: Toronto
ELIE BOUKA
Backup cornerback, Philadelphia Eagles Experience: Undrafted rookie Hometown: Laval, Que.